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HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | DECEMBER 19, 2022 27 A SUPERIOR HISTORY www.SuperiorNetwork.com Sponsored Content In 1967 with grain in the silo, cows grazing, and milking supplies still in the barns; Ralph Crispino, Sr. (a fac- tory owner and savvy entrepreneur), along with a handful of his fellow lo- cal businessmen agreed that Ralph, Sr.'s dairy farm property in Milldale, CT was an adequate location to begin a new venture; Superior Prod- ucts Distributors, Inc. "SPDI" which was established specifically to sell/ supply much needed materials used in the Road & Bridge Industry. The business proved unsuccessful in the beginning, causing Ralph, Sr.'s partners to lose interest. Ralph, Sr., however, saw this as an op- portunity to buy out his partners and recommit to the needs of this industry. No one could have known, including Mr. Crispino, that this investment idea was just the beginning, and SPDI would one day grow to play a significant role in the futures of the entire Connecticut Construction/Building Industry. All of Ralph's four sons would work occasionally at SPDI around their school schedules. However, it was his eldest son Ralph Crispino, Jr. then an accountant, who Ralph Sr. would convince to come into the business full-time to help run the day-to-day finances and operations. While Ralph, Jr. ran SPDI, Ralph Sr. also purchased BC Hardware, a struggling hardware/rental store in Cheshire, CT. Ralph, Sr. dropped off his youngest, then 12-year-old son, Dennis after school to mind the store. Dennis' job description was simple; "keep an eye on the money and watch the inventory." And that he did. In 1976, SPDI and BC Hardware merged to create a new and unprecedented business model. Ralph, Sr. built a new building on the dairy farm property in Milldale where Ralph, Jr. and Dennis Crispi- no would now work together to meet the needs of Connecticut's Contractor Industry. In 1979, Ralph, Jr., and Dennis, were young, yet ready to take the reins. The brothers purchased the business from their father and immediately began responding to customer requests… rapidly adding new products, expanding rentals, and adding many services, well be- yond the Road and Bridge industry. With the most recent and largest of Five locations opening in Danbury, CT; Superior Products Distributors, Inc., now services Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island. SUPE- RIOR PRODUCTS DISTRIBUTORS, INC. has become, and remains, Southern New England's largest independently owned One Stop resource for Pipe and Site Products, Concrete and Mason Supplies, Jobsite Equipment & Supplies, and Specialty Services, but that's not all. Superior Rental provides the latest jobsite rental equipment from all five locations. Also, Superior Instrument offers the latest in construction technology from GPS equipment to high-tech layout instrumentation, and drones while also servicing everything they sell in-house. Su- perior Hearth, Spas and Leisure is a specialty division with two locations serving home builders and home- owners with state-of-the-art Fire- places, Spas, Saunas and Outdoor Living Products. Visit any location, and it becomes abundantly clear that passion, ded- ication, love of the industry and the customers they serve was and still is what has enabled The Crispino Family and their large staff of expert employees to grow the Superior Network of Companies to what it is today. While competitors focused on cutting costs and replacing employees with technology… Dennis and Ralph stuck to their old school values… with quality and knowledgeable in the field account representatives, quality estimating services, self-unloading trucks, and after-hours emergency services, just to name a few. Ralph, Jr. is now retired. Dennis however remains dedicated to fulfill- ing the needs of the customers in the industries Superior serves. Dennis is not building a business to retire from… but remains focused on continued growth that creates good jobs, supports its Superior families, and offers opportunities for his seven children, and currently thirteen grandchildren, well after he is gone. When asked, Dennis unequivocally correlates Superior's success with the dedicated and knowledgeable people he employs and the relationships they have with their customers. It should be noted, the original barn and silo remain on the property today as a reminder of SUPERIOR's humble beginnings. Like the diligent farmers that once worked the farm, the Crispinos' and many key staff still get up as early as 3:30am each morning, to be ready to work and serve the many needs of their grow- ing contractor base. Happy 55th Anniversary to SPDI, their loyal employees, and customers! Mark Crispino - Vice President, Dennis Crispino - President and Grant Crispino - Vice President Superior's Newest Branch - Danbury, CT Where it all began in 1967...